SF Giants: Three Right Handed Power Hitting Outfield Targets

The SF Giants could benefit from adding a right-handed power hitter before the 2022 regular season. This article will examine three potential targets.

SF Giants: Three Right Handed Power Hitting Outfield Targets

Coming off of a season in which the SF Giants won a franchise-record 107 games, it is hard to believe that there are areas in which they can improve the team. But as we know, the San Francisco Giants have been looking for a right-handed, power-hitting outfielder for quite some time.

They have had this very model of player in the not-too-distant past. Hunter Pence fit this mold as a right handed power hitter. The team had Adam Duvall who would grow to be a premier right handed power hitter but traded him before he reached his potential. One could even make the argument that Kris Bryant fit this mold last year even though he played all over the diamond.

With an outfield that, if the team made no other moves before the 2022 season, would consist of lefties Mike Yastrzemski, LaMonte Wade Jr., and Steven Duggar, the need for a strong right-handed bat is clear. While Austin Slater and Darin Ruf proved they can hit the long ball, they seem much better suited for platoon roles which is where they thrived last season.

The Giants may decide that they want a right-handed outfield bat that can play every single day for the team. If the front office decides that is a priority, then there are three players that they could target.

SF Giants: Three Right Handed Power Hitting Outfield Targets

1. Nick Castellanos

It comes as no surprise to SF Giants fans that Nick Castellanos may be a target for the Giants. He has been rumored to be linked to the Giants dating back several years now.

It is easy to understand why. Castellanos is one of the preeminent right-handed power threats in the game today. He has hit over twenty home runs in every season since 2017 except for the 2020 season in which he hit 14. Last season as a member of the Cincinnati Reds, he hit .309/.362/.576 with 34 homers and 100 RBI.

Giants fans have been salivating over the prospect of adding a bat like that to a lineup that already led the league in home runs last season.

Of course, signing Castellanos will not be easy and will come with many risks. He is going to turn 30 next season and will certainly command a deal for an exorbitant amount of money that will last into his mid-30s. It is the exact sort of deal that Farhan Zaidi and the Giants front office has sought to avoid.

Despite this, they may decide that in order to win now they need a powerful right-handed bat in the middle of the lineup. We will have to wait to see where Castellanos lands, but he would certainly satisfy the need for a right handed power hitter.

SF Giants: Three Right Handed Power Hitting Outfield Targets

3. Kevin Pillar

Yet another unlikely name for the Giants to pursue, but do not count out Kevin Pillar and a Giants reunion in 2022.

Pillar became a fan favorite during his time in San Francisco because of the fact that he made an immediate impact when the Giants traded for him early in 2019. He was also seen as an Iron Man as he rarely took days off.

Despite this, the Giants decided to non-tender him which turned out to be the right decision even though I argued it was a mistake at the time. Who knew Farhan Zaidi was better at running a baseball team than me?

But in all seriousness, a Pillar reunion could be in the cards. In the games the Giants played last season against the New York Mets it is clear that Pillar is still well respected by many of the Giants players. He served as a mentor to younger guys like Mike Yastrzemski and Austin Slater.

He is also capable of having an impact on the team. Last season he hit .231/.277/.415 with 15 homers and 47 RBI. That OBP number may give the Giants trepidation, but there is no denying he could provide some right-handed pop.

Ultimately, the Giants may decide they do not need another right-handed power bat and may try to replicate the success they had with Slater and Ruf in platoon roles last season. But if they decide they need another right-handed power bat on the roster, they may look to sign one of the three players covered in this article.